


Kittens in Cahoots

by greeneggs101



Series: Unversed in Emotion [4]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Developing Relationship, Gen, Just Add Kittens, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 02:10:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17540657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeneggs101/pseuds/greeneggs101
Summary: I am thebestcat. Though the not-cats may not understand me, they know that I will stay with My Protector and his friend for as long as they need me. There is no not-cat nor strange creature that can intimidate me. Though the Sora-lion-not-cat does confuse me a bit...(A.K.A. Vanitas finally gets his therapy cat and this whole fic is written from the cat's POV. Because I, the author, has possibly lost her sanity in an effort to keep away from spoilers and still be a functioning member of society...)





	Kittens in Cahoots

**Author's Note:**

> I... really have no explanation for this. This fic was originally meant to be written from Sora's POV and include some more Riku/Sora dorks in love bits, but that really wasn't working. And then the cat took over. 
> 
> I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've written a fic from an animal POV... (checks repertoire...pretty sure). And I should note that I do not have a cat. I have never had a cat (not for lack of want, but when family is allergic we don't take chances). So much of my idea of a cat "POV" is based on anecdote stories and youtube videos. I apologize if this offends any cat owners.

I didn’t like this. The water falling from the sky. It was cold and ruined my fur. I missed my mother’s warm tongue as she bathed me, my siblings snuggled up against me providing more warmth than I knew what to do with. 

 

But then we were taken from our mother. Put into this strange nest with sides too high to climb and left somewhere that had been warm earlier. Before the bright light had left and the skies decided to cry. My siblings had all been picked up by strange paws, similar to the ones that had put me in the box. These paws had claws that were much longer than my own. Some of the strange paws smelled nice, like food and warmth. Others smelled like cats or other creatures (the giant not-cat that my mother had called ‘dog’ came to mind). But there were some that smelled horrible and mean. I tried to hide when those hands came near, but some of my siblings were not so lucky and I cried out in warning as they were pulled away. 

 

But now it was only me left in the nest. The blanket no longer provided a sense of warmth and comfort as it was just as soaked as I was. My claws kept getting tangled up in it, trapping me and I cried out again in frustration and fear. 

 

_ Scree? _

 

Something was behind me!

 

In my shock and fright, I was able to untangle my claw and I turned around, tensing my muscles and arching my back. I could be big like momma! 

 

The creature in front of me was not-cat. But not a dog either. It smelled funny, a little stinky, but like... sleep stinky. Like how momma smelled after a long nap. 

 

It didn’t have claws like mine, but instead small little nubs that twitched and figited. 

 

It tilted its head, letting out another “ _ scree _ ?” sound and twitched closer. 

 

Maybe it was cold too?

 

I sniffed, still finding the odd smell a little off putting, but a little comforting too. It was strange. My ears perked up as I could hear the creature practically vibrating, but there wasn’t a heartbeat like I was used to with my mom and my siblings. 

 

As I crept closer, the creature seemed to twitch a little more, lowering it’s head so I could see its eyes. They were shaped differently from mine and seemed to glow. I put my paw on where it’s nose would be if it were a cat and leaned in, sniffing around its face. Momma used to say that the best way you can get to know someone is by sniffing them. 

 

On closer sniff, the creature smelled... wild. Like the first smell of ‘outside’ I had when the large not-cat with the strange paws had opened the barrier to put the nest containing me and my siblings ‘outside’. 

 

The creature shuddered again, and I pushed more of my weight on his head. It needed to stop doing that. Watching it shudder was making me shudder which just made me feel colder. 

 

_ Scree... _

 

My ears perked at the sound. “What’s wrong?” I asked, though I figured it might not be able to understand me. Most not-cats couldn’t. The dog almost could, but only if we used simple words.

 

_ Scree _ . The creature said again, clearly not understanding, but tried to burrow further into the nest, pulling the rest of its body in with me. 

 

It wasn’t warm like my siblings, but it was better than the cold rain, so I snuggled close to it. The sky water started to come down harder and I sniffed, trying to curl closer to the creature around me. I felt it place its head over mine, evidently trying to cover me. 

 

“I think it went this way!” 

 

I perked up a bit. What was that?

 

There was a splashing sound, then a sort of disgusted ugh sound. The splash sounds continued till they were close. I huddled close to the creature next to me, unsure of what was coming close. 

 

“There you are you litt--oh...”

 

I glanced up, suddenly realizing that the sky water was no longer falling, though I could still hear it. 

 

Golden eyes stared back at me, surrounded by black hair. Though the rest of the not-cat’s face was furless, the eyes and hair reminded me of my mother, and I missed her so much. I cried out, probably sounding a little desperate. 

 

Gold eyes seemed to hesitate for just a moment before the strange paws picked me up, “Hey! Over here!” 

 

There was more splashing. 

 

“You found it?”

 

“Yeah... can you get--”

 

More furless paws picked up my new friend, though my friend evidently didn’t like to be picked up and it twitched and shuddered. I thought about fighting as well, but I was cold and the paws were warm, holding me against something else that was warm and comforting. 

 

“Who would leave a kitten out in the rain?” the not-cat who was holding me asked their friend. 

 

“Madame Adelaide told me that sometimes people leave boxes of kittens out to free homes. It’s one of the reasons she’s starting up the shelter in town. So people have a safe place to bring them,” the other not-cat reached out a pale paw to run it down my wet fur. It felt nice, though not as nice as the warm paws that held me close. There was a steady thump beneath my ears that was pulling me back into slumber. 

 

“....I’m not leaving it here.” The paws pulled me away from the steady thump noise for just a second. There was a strange metallic sound, then I was pulled even closer to the warmth, something soft wrapping around me. 

 

“Of course not...” the other not-cat responded. “We can bring it to Madame Adelaide... or... “

 

“Hmm...” another hand ran down my back through the warm blanket that surrounded me. I began to purr to show my appreciation of this. 

 

“Or... we could bring it home...” 

 

The not-cat holding me, the one I decided to call my protector, seemed to perk up at this thought, turning towards the other not cat. “Do you think they’ll--”

 

“Well... I don’t think Sora or Ven will protest. Riku probably won’t either. He understands...” There was another warmth near my back, and the other not-cat must have stepped closer. “C’mon. I know where Madame gets her cat food. We’ll picks some up as well as some litter and blankets. They can’t say no if you’re prepared to take care of it.”

 

“....okay...” 

 

After that, I felt the not-cat start moving, and I was too tired and too warm to stay awake any longer. I’ll go wherever my protector and the other one--the nice one, I decided-- wanted to go. 

 

\---

 

“Have you decided on a name yet?”

 

I blinked my eyes open, lazily stretching out my limbs and pawing at the soft blankets under me. Sooo soooft. 

 

A gentle hand (not paw, of course they weren’t  _ paws _ !) ran down my back and I let out a grumble of appreciation, which my protector seemed to understand as he repeated the motion. In the days that I had lounged in this room, I had learned that my protector’s name was Vanitas, or Van as he was occasionally called. But I continued to think of him as my protector. He protected me from the rain, then from the strange thunder rumbling that had surrounded us during our journey. 

 

“Nothing seems... right yet...” My Protector said. I sensed some tension in him so I got off my soft bed and walked over to him, pressing my head against his hand and crawling up into his lap. Instantly, the tension faded and he returned to petting down my back and scratching behind my ears. Oooh that felt good. I purred in appreciation. 

 

There was a soft chuckle from other one in the room, the one I had dubbed as the Nice One. It didn’t seem that he had a proper name, as I had not heard my Protector call him one. “She seems to be a good therapy cat.”

 

“Of course. She’s the best cat.”

 

Yes... I am the  _ best _ cat. I purr a little louder though since they still couldn’t understand me. 

 

“I’m not sure we can hide her forever though,” the Nice One stated, taking a seat next to my Protector and joining him in the scritches. I could get used to this. 

 

“I know...” Vanitas murmured. “Just... I’m not ready...” 

 

There was a subtle shift of energy, then one of those strange not-cat creatures popped out of my Protector’s shadow. I felt Vanitas give a slight jump at the new creature in the room, and his hands froze where they had been petting my ears. 

 

I grumbled at the new creature. Whenever one popped up, my Protector would always stop what he was doing in shock and then seem to get sad. I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like the creatures did anything particularly upsetting.

 

I watched the creature scurry about the room, tilting its head at the furniture and cat toys as if it wasn’t sure what to do with them. I had learned that each new creature wasn’t quite the same as my first friend who had seemed to disappear, but they did act the same. I jumped off my Protector’s lap and padded over to the new creature. If it was to stay for a little bit, it had to learn the rules. 

 

I meowed once to get its attention. This tended to work on all kinds of not-cats. It turned and tilted his head in confusion.  _ Scree? _

 

“I am the best cat,” I informed it. It shuddered and twitched, bending low to get a better look at me. “I am the best cat and you have to behave.”

 

_ Scree-ee? _ The creature tilted its head, its red eyes glowing. It didn’t have eyelids or whiskers to communicate back, so I decided that a small bit of force was needed. 

 

I put my paw on where its nose should have been. “Behave,” I repeated, hoping that, like with dogs, this not-cat would understand simple words. Most of the time, the creatures did, but only after looking back at my Protector, as if in confirmation. 

 

This one did as well, and Vanitas just sighed and rolled his gold eyes. The creature shivered a bit and then ran around the room. I quickly gave chase. Along with being the best cat, I was also the best hunter. 

 

I could hear the Nice One and My Protector laughing as I continued to hunt the creature around the room. Everytime I pounced, the creature just seemed to melt into the floor, only to reappear somewhere else. My prey was tricky, but I would get them!

 

“She’s kinda scrappy...” The nice one commented. 

 

“Yeah,” Vanitas agreed, “She doesn’t seem to be afraid of the Unversed when they do appear. And she’s pretty cuddly too... and fluffy...”

 

Of course I was fluffy. I made sure to bathe my dark fur at least twice a day. 

 

“Scrappy...Fluffy...” My Protector murmured, “Scr... Scruffles?”

 

My ears perked up. I hadn’t heard that word before... I kinda liked it. I turned away from my prey to glance over to where the Nice One was looking at Vanitas in confusion. 

 

“Huh?” 

 

“A name for her...” My Protector shifted a little, curling inward and the creature bounded over to twitch and shiver again. I hurried over as well, quick to curl up in Vanitas’s lap before the creature could. “Scruffles?”

 

I vocally showed my approval. Cat’s don’t really do names, but I supposed that if I had to have one, I liked this odd word. 

 

“I guess she likes it,” the Nice One huffed out a laugh, scratching behind my ears. 

 

I meowed again, glad that my communication was working. They weren’t quite as fluent as the dog not-cats, but the kittenish noises I made seemed to be adequate for them to understand. 

 

“Okay then,” My Protector huffed out a laugh and ran a hand through my fur. “Scruffles.” 

 

I purred, watching with lazy eyes as the creature that had appeared earlier faded away. I tried not to be sad. I knew that whatever those creatures were, they did cause some kind of agitation to My Protector, though he didn’t seem to need protection from them. Perhaps they just reminded him of something bad. I felt the same whenever I heard the loud rumbling from outside the window. 

 

Speaking of...

 

Now that I didn’t have my prey to focus on, I could smell something else coming in from the door that was opened a bit. Curious, I hopped off of Vanitas’s lap, cautiously taking a step closer. My Protector and the Nice One didn’t seem to smell what I did as they continued to talk amongst themselves. 

 

“Hey, do you have that spell book Riku let you borrow? I wanted to see if--”

 

“Yeah, hang on, it’s in my bag...”

 

“Thanks, Ku...” 

 

There was a pause, and a sudden unexpected tension in the air that distracted my from my curiosity. I looked back again. Ku? Was that the Nice One’s name? 

 

After a moment, Vanitas spoke again, “Not good?”

 

The nice one looked down at the book in his hands. “I dunno... not bad... better than Scruffles I suppose...” His words were a little mean, but he was smiling when he said it. 

 

“Hey!” Vanitas shouted, but then laughed. “Sorry... I just thought I’d try it...”

 

“Yeah, I know...” The nice one sighed, taking a seat next to Vanitas on the bed. “I just... I dunno... In my head, I’m Riku... but I also know it’d be... confusing with two ‘Riku’s’... and I know why I’m the one who has to change...”

 

“I don’t see why you can’t be Riku and the other one can’t be ‘Idiot-Know-It-All-Riku’.” There was a squeak from the mattress as Vanitas laid back on the bed. 

 

I sniffed, debating returning to the bed for more pets, or to continue on my quest. In the end, I decided that the weird smell was more important. I heard the Nice One laughing and figured that they would be okay. 

 

I crept closer to the door. Usually Vanitas kept it closed, but they must have forgotten today. 

 

“I kinda get it though,” Vanitas was saying as I tried to paw the door open. It was big and I was small, but I didn’t need it open that much further. “When Ventus and I were split... even though Ma--- Xehanort called me Vanitas, it took me a long time to actually answer to that name. I still felt like I was “Ventus” and then there was this other Ventus who was sleeping... It was kinda confusing. I didn’t like that I was the one who had to change when I was the one actually awake.”

 

“Yeah...” 

 

_ Freedom! _

 

I slipped through the open doorway and into the long room just beyond the door. I had never been in this room before! So many new smells. 

 

_ Focus! _

 

I followed the smell that had intrigued me, finding that I didn’t have to go far as my nose ran right into the source of it. I tilted my head, lifting one paw to scratch at it. 

 

It moved! 

 

I reached out with my other paw to try and catch it. It shifted slightly out of reach, so I pounced instead. Got it! I tried to bring it to my mouth, but to my disappointment, the thing didn’t go that far and I let out a cry of frustration. 

 

“Hey... don’t untie my shoes...” 

 

I jumped at the voice. It wasn’t the Nice One’s voice, nor My Protector’s... but it did sound kinda similar. I glanced up, finding a face very, very similar to My Protector’s. A hand reached down to pick me up. I thought about fighting, but the hand was gentle and I was curious enough to see where this was going. 

 

I was a strong enough fighter I could claw my way out later anyway. 

 

The new not cat pulled me close to his face to get a better look at me, so I decided to use the opportunity to get a better look at him too. Up close, I could get an even better sniff off him, the weird smell from earlier becoming more apparent. 

 

Though this person was clearly not-cat, I could also smell cat on him. And it wasn’t a faint cat smell like how the Nice One sometimes smells after being away for a while. It was... tied to the not-cat. 

 

_ A cat-not-cat? _ I was confused. 

 

“I was just in the Pride Lands for a bit,” the cat not-cat chuckled. “I become a lion in that world, so you might be smelling that.” 

 

I froze. Did the cat-not-cat understand me?

 

Another chuckle. “I can understand your body language. Lions are a little similar...”

 

I had never heard of a ‘lion’ before. Perhaps they were not-cats that can speak better cat? 

 

The lion-not-cat let out a sigh, the temporary amusement gone from his eyes, which I now noticed were wet with the strange face water I had observed from My Protector when he had been yelling in his sleep. I meowed quietly batting my paws gently, knowing that this sometimes helped Vanitas stop the face water when he woke up. 

 

The lion-not-cat let out another small grin. 

 

“Hey, where’s--”

 

“Scruffles!”

 

“Scruffles?” the lion-not-cat looked down at me, “And he thinks  _ I’m _ bad at naming things?”

 

“Van! The door!” 

 

There were hurried footsteps towards the door. “Scruffles!” 

 

My Protector froze when he saw me in the hands of the lion-not-cat, his face quickly morphing from one of concern to one of indifference. “Sora.”

 

“Vanitas...” the lion-not-cat murmured. 

 

I could see the nice one hovering in the doorway for a moment before reaching out and taking me from lion-not-cat’s --Sora??-- grip. I meowed in indignation. I can take care of myself, thank you very much! 

 

There was another moment of silence before Vanitas let out a sigh and motioned for Sora-lion-not-cat to come into the room. 

 

“What’s got you upset?” the Nice One asked, releasing me to the floor. I ran over to one of the toys My Protector had gotten me, chasing a small ball around. 

 

“I just... kinda over heard you guys...”

 

“So you were eavesdropping?”

 

“No!....kinda?” 

 

My Protector let out another sigh, and then I heard the box shaking! The magic box that had food!

 

I quickly bounded over, hearing Sora-lion-not-cat laugh as I nearly tripped over my own feet. I couldn’t help it though. Food!

 

“Where’d you find.... Scruffles?” Sora-lion-not-cat asked as I waited patiently for the food, rubbing against My Protector’s legs in appreciation. 

 

“I..er...” My Protector seemed to be struggling for words. 

 

“In the Tram Common in Twilight Town,” the Nice One answered instead. “Someone had left a litter in a box by the job notice board. She was the only one left.”

 

“Ohh...” Sora-lion-not-cat sounded a little sad. 

 

“I’m keeping her,” my protector said as he put the food down to where I could reach it and  I quickly began to devour it. “You can’t take her away!” 

 

Take me away? I’d like to see them try! 

 

“Why would I do that?” Sora-lion-not-cat wondered, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. “You’re taking good care of her...” 

 

Yes! My Protector took very good care of me. And I took care of him. And the Nice One helped. 

 

“But...Master Yen Sid... and Aqua...” My Protector trailed off. 

 

“They were just... concerned about the responsibilities of owning a pet,” Sora-lion-not-cat said. “But you’re doing great! You have food, water, and toys and--”

 

“The litter box is in Van’s bathroom,” the Nice One offered up. 

 

“Exactly!” Sora-lion-not-cat grinned. “I’m sure once they see that you have everything under control they’d approve. And even if they still had reservations, Kairi, Riku, Ven and I wouldn’t let them take her from you. We all noticed that there have been fewer and fewer unversed roaming the tower. I presume this cutie is to thank for that...” 

 

“Yeah... she’s been a comfort to have around.”

 

I prened, glad that I was doing a good job and helping My Protector. Soon my food was gone though and I debated asking for another bowl. Vanitas rarely gave me one, but I could occasionally guilt the Nice One into letting me have a treat. I looked back at the Nice One, wondering if maybe Sora-lion-not-cat would let me have a treat. I ran over and began to rub against his legs, purring. 

 

“Aww...” Sora-lion-not-cat said. “Are you still hungry...”

 

_ Yes! _ I meowed, staring up at him. 

 

“No...” My Protector muttered, but passed over the treat bag anyway, while the nice one chuckled. 

 

“Sure, you can destroy your own unversed in a single blow, but can’t say no to kitten eyes...” The Nice One grinned, laughing when My Protector batted his arm gently. 

 

“Shut up...” He gave Sora-lion-not-cat a treat and I eagerly pawed at his leg. 

 

Sora-lion-not-cat grinned and knelt down on the floor to hold the treat out. I sniffed around his fingers, just to make sure he wasn’t hiding any more, then grabbed it.  _ Yum!  _

 

I felt gentle fingers scratch behind my ears and I leaned into them as I finished my treat. 

 

“So...” The Nice One also sat down, My Protector taking a seat next to him. “Why did you start crying when you overheard us?”

 

“Huh?” Sora-lion paused in his scratching and I ran over to My Protector instead for more pets. He was better at it anyway. “Oh I... I guess cause I didn’t think about the whole name thing... how it would affect you guys...”

 

“So?” My Protector scoffed, running a hand down my back. “It’s not that big of a deal...”

 

“I know, but...” Sora-lion’s voice trailed off. “I’m still sorry...” I watched as he turned to the Nice One. “If... if it does bother you, we can call you Riku. We can get used to it. Riku, my Riku, would understand.”

 

The Nice One looked away, his hands gripping his knees tightly. “Thanks Sora... but I don’t really want that either. It would... just kinda be a reminder...” His shoulders rolled. “I kinda liked what Van called me.”

 

“You said it wasn’t good!” My Protector protested. 

 

“I said it was better than Scruffles,” The Nice One let out another laugh. 

 

I meowed indignantly. I liked my new name! 

 

I heard Sora-lion let out a chuckle as well, but didn’t say why he was laughing. Instead I felt him join My Protector in petting behind my ears. “Have you showed her to Ven yet?”

 

“No...” I felt Vanitas roll his own shoulders. “I guess I was a little scared that...” he trailed off. I felt that sort of vibration and tension in his body that meant a creature would soon form. I didn’t feel like having to set the rules with another creature today, so I butted my head against My Protector’s stomach. I wasn’t going anywhere and I’d like to see anyone try and take me away from My Protector!

 

Sora let out a small chuckle again, “I think she’d put up a fight as well if anyone tried to take her away. Let me handle Master Yen Sid and Aqua. Riku will help too. I know he’s been wanting a dog.”

 

“As a pet?” The Nice One asked. 

 

Sora-lion hummed. “Kinda. But more for the reason Vanitas wanted a kitten.”

 

“If that’s the case, maybe we should just get a menagerie of therapy animals,” My Protector huffed. 

 

The other boys in the room laughed, the sound a little loud in my ears but I found it kind of comforting as well. I let out a yawn, always feeling sleepy after a meal, and let myself drift off for a bit still feeling My Protector, as well as Sora-lion-not-cat and the nice one petting my ears and fur. 

 

\---

 

Soon after that, I met a lot more not-cats. Some were kinda... not scary... but a little too big. Like Terra-big-not-cat. It was almost like he was more scared of me than I was of him (which was only right as I was cat and had claws and he was not-cat). My Protector encouraged Terra-big-not-cat to sit on the ground to pet me. Which made him a little smaller, though he was still Terra-big-not-cat. But there was also Ven-not-cat, who smelled a bit like my protector, but also not like my protector. He was nice enough, but not the same as the nice one. Aqua-kinda-cat was very gentle, and getting scratches from her was almost as nice as scratches from My Protector.  _ Almost _ . I got the feeling that she needed a cat to protect her too and I made a note to try and tell My Protector that. 

 

Riku-big-not-cat confused me. I always smelled Sora-lion on him, and he looked a bit like the Nice One but he was big like Terra-big-not-cat. He would always sneak me extra treats though when My Protector and the Nice One weren’t looking, so I liked him. 

 

Kairi-gentle-not-cat and Xion-nice-not-cat liked to hold me, but were also ready to let me go the minute I started to squirm. 

 

Roxas-not-cat also smelled like Sora-lion-not-cat but not in the same way that Riku-big-not-cat did. He petted me when I came near but didn’t seek me out like the others did. 

 

I did not like Axel-Lea-definitely-not-cat. He smelled of smoke and fire and burning. It was fine though, he mostly stayed out of my way. 

 

Then there was the Mouse. The Mouse confused me greatly. He smelled like the mice that my siblings and I could smell in the walls in the place I was born. Momma said that cats had to chase the mice. And I tried to chase this Mouse but he did not run. He was also bigger than the mice I remembered. 

 

Or maybe I have gotten smaller? I didn’t feel smaller though... I felt bigger. 

 

The Mouse also occasionally came with the Feathers-not-cat and the two-leg Dog. Both of them were strange as well. 

 

Worse was when the Mouse brought The Dog. The Pluto-dog. The Pluto-dog who kept trying to lick me, but it was always wet and smelled of dirt. 

 

My Protector was most nervous about introducing me to Master-not-cat. He was a tall man with big eyes that stared at me. 

 

I stared back. 

 

Finally, Master-Not-Cat let out a sigh. “I suppose if she doesn’t distract you from your community service duties as well as your training  _ and _ you have prepared for her care, then she can stay.”

 

I could feel the happiness radiating off My Protector. “.... I... Thank you!” He gave a small bow and I hurried to dig my claws into his shirt a the sudden movement. “You hear that Scruffles? You get to stay!”

 

I meowed in response. Of course I’m staying. I didn’t need Master-not-cat’s permission to stay. I had to protect My Protector, and the Nice One and the other not-cats in the building. It was my job. 

 

I’d like to see anyone try and stop me from doing my job. 

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone finds my sanity, please tell it to return home. I might need it in a few days.


End file.
